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KABWATA BAPTIST CHURCH 2009 Day of Special Studies 
Pastor Conrad Mbewe 
Christian Volunteerism The Vanguard of Civilisation DATE: 28TH NOVEMBER 2009 VENUE: KABWATA BAPTIST CHURCH TIME: 09.00 – 16.00 hours Entrance Fees: Free! Free! Free! lunch packs and drinks will be on sale INTRODUCTION Jesus said to his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.” In other words, the church of Jesus Christ is supposed to have a salting and lighting effect upon the world. This is what has taken place in history right across the world. Christianity has been the vanguard of civilization. Christianity finds people living in darkness, chained to superstitions, poverty and squalor. As men and women are converted, and sit under the life-giving preaching of the Word of God, they develop a desire to read the Bible for themselves. Thus they learn to read and write. As they read their Bibles to themselves and to their children, they begin to see who they are from God’s perspective and how they ought to translate their faith into works in the home, in society, in the workplace, and in the environment. The result is a total transformation of life and living. This is what has led to the growth of education, improved social and health provisions, new forms of local and state governments, civil liberties, human rights, women’s rights, children’s rights, workers’ rights, scientific discoveries, the ending of the slave trade, etc. Yet, when we come to Africa the story is different. Christianity has been on African soil for well over one hundred years. We have so many churches and yet there is very little moral, spiritual and intellectual impact on our society. The levels of corruption, immorality, crime, poverty, HIV and AIDS, etc., are still on the increase. This is not to say that the West is better. However, at least in the West, they rejected Christianity first and then the consequences followed. In Africa, we have the Christian faith sitting comfortably side-by-side with wickedness of the highest order. How can we explain this and how can we reverse this? History has shown that it was when individual Christians took the teaching of the Bible seriously and became salt and light in their world that the world changed for the better. Are we Zambian Christians going to sit back while Zambia and Africa get worse and worse?
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